Kitakata’s bar becomes a popup Bar Kaze. Grandpa Kurushima reconciles with his late son over whisky.
Episode 11 — “Bar Kaze — A Heartfelt Recipe”
Hmm. Bartender Glass of God Tasting Notes.
What has been the recurring theme of Bartender Glass of God? The theme has always been the paradox of Japanese customer service and tradition expressed through Western-style amenities. Kurushima’s Hotel Cardinal serves as his project to move from traditional Japanese inns to modern resort hotels. But the service industry sector that perfected that cocktail mix of Western and Eastern traditions started with whisky and bars.
Bartender Glass of God — East Meets West? No. Yeast Meets Mold!
Last week’s Bartender Glass of God episode explored the differences between sake and shochu and Western alcoholic beverages. It’s only one thing in the fermentation process — Asia uses a species of mold, and the West uses a species of yeast. These two microscopic organisms eat sugar and expel alcohol. But the flavors are entirely distinct due to the other byproducts from their waste. Suntory, a major sponsor in this show’s production committee, shows you what happens when Japanese alcohol production practices use yeast instead of mold. It took over the liquor-producing world!
Okay. So, business historians can trace macroeconomic conditions through the circumstances of global corporations merging, acquiring, and consolidating famous brand names. But not until Suntory added a yeast fermentation distilling line to its production facilities did any melding of Japanese and Western liquor flavors become possible. Bartender Glass of God pounds on this theme of Japanese cuisine, hospitality, and customs expressed through Western filters in the counter bar selling “foreign” liquor and instilling that atmosphere in a resort hotel setting.
This anime’s goal has always been to promote Japanese bars and hotels focused on Western styles. Hey, tourists! Come to Ginza!
Ryu Sasakura — Bar Kaze’s Prodigal Son
This week’s Bartender Glass of God episode confirmed that the vacant lot Sasakura kept visiting was Bar Kaze’s location. But if it was gone only a year after Sasakura left for France, won the European Cocktail Award, and failed to successfully create a Glass of God for a suicidal customer. How did he not know what happened to Kase and Kitakata? The first episode offered a clue. Sasakura had no idea how to use a smartphone and checked out from the library outdated bar location directories and reviews. How could he know where Kitakata opened the North Wind bar if he couldn’t search the internet? The anime’s writing could have capitalized on these character traits better. Then, his accidental meeting with Kitakata again wouldn’t have been such a deus ex machina.
Thankfully, the hardboiled first impression that Kitakata gave us quickly melted into a doting eldest son for his ailing bartender mentor. I’m not a fan of Japanese mass media’s convention of an unnamed wasting disease tugging on our heartstrings. We’re a sophisticated enough audience that deserves better than an old guy being healthy enough for one last hurrah before dying. The bathos was strong this week.
Eldest Son Duties and Hairstyles
Putting aside poor writing and emotional pandering, Bartender Glass of God evoked a Western dynamic between brothers in Sasakura and Kitakata. The North Wind bartender played the elder brother whom the prodigal son left behind before he returned broken and poor. Sasakura chose another benefactor (how he connected with Edenhall’s owner is another mystery) to restore himself. Maki-kun fulfilled the role of the forgiving father, and Kitakata (initially) played the resentful older brother who stayed behind in the Gospel parable. Kitakata’s doting and protectiveness of Kase’s memorabilia activated empathetic pangs for any family member taking care of elderly family members in hospice care.
I enjoyed the brotherly bartender antics between the protégés that flashbacks showed us. Sasakura, the new hire, flatly stated he would never emulate Kitakata’s throwback hairstyle while he worked at Bar Kaze. But look at the pair now! The hair strands covering their foreheads could hardly be a coincidence, even eight years and a continent apart.
Vodka Martini, Shaken Not Dirty
Miwa’s coworker, Yukari, is such a normie when it comes to arcane details about bartending lore. She broke the ice for the Bar Kaze patrons by ordering a drink from a pop culture reference. Who else could order James Bond’s drink from a counter bar guru? Bartender Glass of God referenced a series of bartending detective stories, so we should also expect movie references. Regardless of Yukari’s courage or ignorance, Kase knew how to create the best vodka martini (shaken, not stirred) for her. Drinkers often mistake the Bond variant for a “dirty martini” because of the shaking instead of stirring, but that’s not true. A dirty martini needs olive brine or pickle juice added to the mixture before shaking.
A vodka martini is still a mixture of the spirit, vermouth, and bitters to simulate the botanicals in gin, garnished with a lemon twist, an olive, or both. Kase added the trick of spritzing the lip and the stem of the martini glass to maximize the lemon flavor and scent from merely holding the glass before sipping.
Flaming Shots — the Bartender Glass of God Votive Candle
The Bartender manga based much of its Ginza background on a real-life bartender and his book. But it also made up several overly dramatic things for artistic license, such as the Flame of the Dead ritual that Kase and Sasakura use to honor comrades who have gone to the Great Liquor Barrel in the sky. Flaming drinks have been a staple for entertaining drunk girls in tourist traps for decades but never as a reference to a Catholic votive candle. If you do want to cultivate a sense of danger through a shot glass on fire, make sure you have a high-proof liquor in there. Bartender Glass of God promoted Smirnoff No. 57 for its high alcohol content and smooth, consistent taste. High-proof rum is the other readily accepted liquor for flaming tricks in vacation spots.
I did see Kase mixing something with gin and Cointreau. Could it have been a Corpse Reviver No. 2 to bring back his old friends? We’ll never know.
The Classic Old Fashioned, Finally!
The Bartender Glass of God website has featured this drink’s recipe (bourbon, bitters, and a sugar cube) since before the season began. The anime didn’t put it in the show until the eleventh episode! Will we see that mojito or sidecar? One more episode, guys!
Kakubin Blended Whisky — East Meets West
Look. You know Suntory sponsors this anime. The bartenders even took a tour in one episode of the Yamazaki distillery. But Bartender Glass of God dared to sell Suntory’s base whisky as a bridge between generations and between the East and West. It’s only available in Asia and through import resellers in the West. Why? Because it’s the equivalent of Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Evan Williams, Old Forester, and Ezra Brooks. Cheap but punches above its weight. Sure. I could have believed a billionaire hotel magnate would sip cheap blended whisky with artisanal ice in a bucket. I want to believe! Okay, okay. Sasakura found a thirty-year-old bottle of the cheap stuff. That will taste good. But a Kaku Highball will leave the same stain on your wallet as a chu-hi. Still tasty, though!
I had much more fun looking at the artistic cognac battles. That Mercian Ship Bottle is a work of art!
Bartender Glass of God (Bartender: Kami no Glass) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and multiple language subtitles. Bartender (2006) also streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and English subtitles.
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Sasakura found closure with that empty lot and served drinks with Kase again. Has his soul healed enough to serve the Glass of God at Hotel Cardinal? What are your bets for the season finale? Let us know in the comments below.
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